High-impact math games for upper-elementary kids
Help your kids develop critical math skills with these fun math games. Top math game picks for 3rd-6th graders.
Whether you're homeschooling math or helping your kids with their math homework, you know that motivating them to practice and develop their math skills can sometimes be challenging. However, it doesn't have to be that way. Introducing some fun math games to your kids can have them practicing and developing their math skills without even realizing it.
Why should you play math games with your kids?
Math games are an excellent way to help your kids practice key math skills, boost their math confidence, and improve their reasoning abilities without resorting to boring worksheets!
Outschool's math tutors often incorporate a variety of games in their online math tutoring sessions. Leading math academics and researchers have also found that math games are particularly effective at helping kids develop their mathematical fluency. Moreover, kids are often more motivated by the thought of "playing games" than "math practice," making top math games a great way to foster a love of math.
The best part is that math games don't have to be complicated or require specialized equipment or resources. Here are our Outschool expert's top math games for students in Grades 3-6 to play at home.
Card War
This fun and competitive math card game helps kids master their multiplication tables.
You will need:
2 players.
A set of playing cards, with jokers and kings removed. In this game, ace = 1, jack = 11, and queen = 12.
A timer.
How to play:
Shuffle the deck of cards and split it so that each player has half of the deck, which they should place face down in front of them.
Set the timer for 3 minutes.
Players count down "3, 2, 1, DRAW" together and turn a card over from their pile.
Players then race to multiply both numbers together and call out the answer.
The first person to call out the correct answer keeps both cards.
Repeat until the end of the 3 minutes. The player with the most cards wins this round.
Repeat the steps above to play another two rounds. The player who wins the most rounds is the overall winner.
You could adapt this game to:
Introduce multiplying by two-digit numbers by changing the game so that players first add both cards together before multiplying this value by a set number.
Reduce the competitive element by awarding a point to each player if they can give the answer within 30 seconds.
Math "Tug of War"
This engaging math game helps kids practice selecting the most efficient method for adding and subtracting 3- and 4-digit numbers.
You will need:
2 players.
Two sets of 0–9 digit cards or a set of playing cards with 10s, queens, jacks, and kings removed, but with jokers left in (ace = 1 and jokers = 0).
3 mini-whiteboards or sheets of paper.
How to play:
Give each player a whiteboard and a set of digit cards or half the pack of playing cards.
Place a whiteboard or piece of paper between the players and write "2,500" on it.
The first player turns over 3 cards and arranges them into a 3-digit number.
They then add the number to 2,500 using a method of their choice and record the new total on the shared whiteboard.
The next player turns over 3 cards, arranges them into a 3-digit number, and subtracts this number from the new total.
Repeat until either the first player gets the total to 5,000 or the second player gets it below 1.
You could adapt this game to:
Focus on adding and subtracting 4-digit numbers by drawing 4 cards at a time and changing the starting number to 10,000 with the goal of reaching a total of 20,000 or going below 1.
Focus on mental addition and subtraction by drawing two cards at a time and changing the starting number to 250. Players must then mentally add or subtract the number they make to get the shared total to 1 or 500.
Multiplication Five in a Row
This math game for grades 3 and above puts a multiplication twist on the traditional game of connect four.
You will need:
2 or more players.
A different colored marker for each player.
How to play:
The first player multiplies 2 numbers together and writes the answer in the corresponding blank square on the multiplication grid.
The next player picks two numbers, does the same, and writes their answer in a different color.
Players continue taking turns and recording the answers on the grid. For example, after 3 rounds, the grid may look like this:
The first player to record 5 numbers that are connected horizontally, vertically, or diagonally wins.
You could adapt this game to:
Decrease the time each round takes by changing the goal so that players have to connect 4 numbers together.
Increase the time each round takes by requiring players to create 3 different sets of 5 connected numbers before winning the round.
Prime Target
In Grade 4 of the Common Core, kids are introduced to prime numbers. This upper-elementary math game is great for reinforcing which numbers are prime.
You will need:
2 or more players
A deck of cards with jokers removed (ace = 1, jack = 11, queen = 12, and king = 13)
How to play:
Shuffle the cards and deal a hand of 9 cards to each player. Turn over the top card of the remaining cards.
The player to the left of the dealer has to play a card from their hand that, when added to the starting card, would equal a prime number.
The next player must play a card from their hand that adds or subtracts from the total to make another prime number.
If a player cannot play a card to reach another prime number, they draw a card and end their turn.
Play continues until no player can make a prime number or a player has emptied their hand. The player with the fewest cards in their hand wins the round.
You could adapt this game to:
Help kids remember which numbers are prime by placing a list of prime numbers up to 149 next to the central pile of cards.
Develop players' ability to give mathematical proof by asking them to prove that any prime number they make above 19 is prime.
Continue making math fun with Outschool
While playing math games with adults or other kids at home is fun, nothing beats the enjoyment of playing math games expertly created by an educator in one of Outschool's online math game classes. Or, why not take the competition (and mathematical thinking) up a level with a grade-specific Olympiad class? Whatever you choose, there is bound to be a perfect online math class for your child.
